ANAHEIM, California. – The Los Angeles Angels acquired the outfielder and designated hitter Jorge Soler of the Atlanta Braves in a trade for right-hander Griffin Canning on Thursday.

Soler was a power hitter for five teams over the previous 11 major league seasons. The Cuban slugger was the 2021 World Series MVP with Atlanta, and he also won a ring with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

Soler said he didn’t expect to be traded by the Braves, who acquired him from San Francisco three months ago. He has two years remaining on the three-year, $42 million contract. he signed with the Giants in February.

“I was practicing and I got a call from the general manager saying I was going to be traded,” Soler said through an interpreter. “It’s amazing how quickly everything happened, but I’m grateful to the Angels for giving me this opportunity.”

The Braves bought Soler to provide offense to their injury-depleted roster en route to a playoff berth, but he apparently wasn’t a long-term fit in Atlanta. Marcell Ozuna is the Braves’ designated hitter, while Ronald Acuña Jr. will return from a torn right knee ligament to play right field in 2025.

While Atlanta got rid of the $26 million still owed to Soler, the angels were eager to add an established power hitter to their often punchless lineup. Soler also developed a strong relationship with Angels manager Ron Washington and third base coach Eric Young when both coached the Braves in 2021.

“He’s someone who can change a game with one swing of the bat,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said. “Can go play the outfield if you need to. Great human being, A-plus clubhouse guy, someone our manager knows. I just felt like it was a really perfect fit, a really good fit for us and someone that could help us change our alignment.

Soler is best known for his World Series MVP performance for Atlanta. After becoming the first player to homer as the leadoff batter in the top half of the first inning of Game 1 of a World Series, he hit a memorable three-run, 446-foot shot that went out of the Minute Maid Park. during the Braves’ Game 6 win over the Houston Astros.

Soler led the AL in home runs with the Kansas City Royals in 2019, hitting a career-high 48. He made his first All-Star team and hit 36 ​​home runs in 2023 with the Miami Marlins, who l signed as a free agent after his World Cup. Heroic series for Atlanta.

Soler struggled during his 93-game tenure with the Giants, attributing it to timing and swing issues. His production rebounded after joining the Braves on July 29, finishing the season with 21 home runs, 64 RBIs with a .780 OPS for both teams.

Minasian made the deal with the Braves’ Alex Anthopoulos, his longtime coach in Toronto and Atlanta. Minasian said Soler would ideally be a designated hitter, but would likely get playing time as an outfielder while the Angels manage a roster that also includes injury-prone veterans Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon.

Soler was solely a DH for the Giants, but played the corner outfield spots at every other stop in his traveling career, although he is not considered a strong defender.

“I have no problem wherever they put me,” Soler said.

Canning is an Orange County native and a former second-round pick who has been in the Angels’ starting rotation for six years when healthy. He won a Gold Glove in 2020 but missed the entire 2022 season with a back injury.

Canning went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA while making a career-high 32 starts last season for the Angels, who finished with the worst record in franchise history (63- 99).

“It’s difficult,” Minasian said. “He’s someone who took the ball every time last year, in a year where we had a lot of injuries. He’s one of the reliable guys who was there, ready to go. Even when he was struggling, and he was struggling, he took the ball and gave it everything he had.

The Angels added significant payroll by acquiring Soler, but Minasian said he expects to be aggressive in free agency after Los Angeles collapsed in its first year without Shohei Ohtani.

“That’s move No. 1,” he said. “We expect there to be more movements. I hope to improve this club in many different areas.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB